[Verse 1]
Nights fall hard on Hollywood
The stars don't come out like they should
Up above the world so high tonight
They can't outshine the neon lights
Now the golden days are gone for good
In Esmeralda's Hollywood

[Verse 2]
She comes out when the sun is gone
But she don't have to walk alone
Because once the darkness takes this town
She ain't the only ghost around
Waiting by the public phone
If it don't ring, she heads back home

[Chorus]
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Girl, what are you waiting for?
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Can't hang around this place no more

[Verse 3]
Searchlights rip the L.A. sky
When you look in Esmeralda's eyes
The people come from miles around
To see the kings and queens they crowned
Behind the barricades they stood
In Esmeralda's Hollywood
[Chorus]
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Girl, what are you waiting for?
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Can't hang around this place no more

[Bridge]
Ah, wait until the sun goes down
Listen for the lonely sound
Esmeralda's hanging 'round

[Verse 4]
No one shed a tear that day
When Esmeralda passed away
All up and down the Strip, they say
It was just like any other day
The evil struggled with the good
Down in Esmeralda's Hollywood

[Chorus]
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Girl, what are you waiting for?
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Can't hang around this place no more

[Chorus]
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Girl, what are you waiting for?
Esmeralda, Esmeralda
Can't hang around this place no more